Catalan Population Research Articles

Determinants of the nutritional status of vitamin E in a non-smoking Mediterranean population. Analysis of the effect of vitamin E intake, alcohol consumption and body mass index on the serum alpha-tocopherol concentration

Study was conducted in order to investigate the association of vitamin E intake and other factors with plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration in a non-smoking Mediterranean population. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a subsample of a representative sample of the Catalan population. Sample size was 143 men and women, aged between 18 and 75 y, and final response rate reached 61.9% of the initial sample. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentration standardized by serum total lipids was used as a proxy of the nutritional status of vitamin E. Vitamin E intake and alcohol consumption were estimated by a replicated 24 h recall method. Dietary data were collected in two different periods, winter and summer, in order to account for seasonal variation in nutrient intake, and were corrected for random within-person variability in order to account for day-to-day variation in nutrient intake. Multivariate linear regression models were fitted in order to estimate the determinants of serum alpha-tocopherol concentration. In this population study, for each one mg increase in vitamin E intake, serum alpha-tocopherol concentration increased, on average, 0.66 micromol/L, after adjusting for age, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), alcohol consumption and energy intake. BMI also influenced significantly serum alpha-tocopherol concentration, whereas alcohol intake, age and gender did not show significant associations with serum alpha-tocopherol. The study showed that vitamin E nutritional status was associated to vitamin E intake and BMI in non-smokers.

Perceptions of science in Catalan society

The project `Perception of Science by Catalan Society: Sociological study 1995' used a questionnaire to determine: the level of interest in science among Catalans; which channels the public uses to find out about scientific matters; attitudes towards science as an element of culture; the level of scientific knowledge of the Catalan population; and the sociological profile of the population according to its level of scientific culture. Compared with the results of a similar study carried out in 1989, knowledge and interest in science in the Catalan population has increased, and may be connected to the increase of the portion of the population with secondary or university education. Although interest has increased among women, those with highest levels of `scientific culture' are well educated, socially active young men. Other socio-demographic features and patterns of media use suggest that more effective diffusion of scientific information might be achieved if particular types of information were aimed at specific groups through particular media.

Cross-sectional growth study of the child and adolescent population of Catalonia (Spain)

SummaryA cross-sectional growth study was undertaken on a sample of 5472 school-children aged between 4 and 17. The sample was representative of the Catalan population. Results on height, weight and age at menarche are presented. Cross-sectional centile curves on height and weight were constructed using non-parametric methods. The height of Catalan children was compared with that of children from the United Kingdom (1965 and 1990), France, Greece and the Basque country (Spain). Until puberty Catalan children were similar in height to English (1990) and Greek children, and taller than children in the other studies mentioned. Only differences in final height compared with the English (1990) population were detected. Parents' place of birth and father's profession are associated with height. ‘Probit analysis’ revealed that the average age of menarche (12·31 years) was similar to that of other Mediterranean countries and lower than in other parts of Spain and northern European countries. There were differences in age at menarche according to the father's occupation. The secular trend of height of the Catalan child population has increased during the twentieth century, rising more than 2 cm per decade.

Protein subtype polymorphisms (Gc and Tf) in a Catalan population from Gerona (Northeastern Spain)

The Tf and Gc polymorphic subtype variants have been examined by means of isoelectric focusing in a population sample from two subpyrenean regions in the province of Gerona (Northeast Spain). The estimated allele frequencies were Tf*C1 = 0.774, Tf*C2 = 0.167, TF*C3 = 0.055, TF*B = 0.004; Gc*1F = 0.129, Gc*1S = 0.555 and Gc*2 = 0.316. These values are in general similar to those so far reported in other Spanish populations. The comparisons between our data and those published in Spain, indicate that the present sample is closer to Barcelona than to the other groups compared.